Kris Bryant and the Future at Third Base and Other Bullets

kris bryant cubsIf you’re just a morning BN’er, don’t forget to check out last night’s bits on Jeff Samardzija and the Diamondbacks, as well as the qualifying offer round-up. This time of  year, stuff can come down the pipe at any time. (Consume, consume, consume!)

  • In Fall League action yesterday, Kris Bryant went 0-2 with a walk, and Jorge Soler went 1-4 with a double. In some ways, it goes without saying, but, since it was a talking point in the run-up to the AFL, I’ll say: Bryant is exclusively playing third base this Fall, despite earlier talk of him getting looks elsewhere. Thoughts of him moving to the outfield any time soon have clearly been scuttled, and, if his trajectory puts him in the big leagues in the second half of 2014 – still very possible – it makes the Cubs’ approach to third base to start the season pretty interesting. In fact, I’d say it’s an extreme long-shot that the Cubs do anything in the way of a signing or acquisition there this offseason. It’ll likely be some combination of Mike Olt, Luis Valbuena, and Donnie Murphy, if he’s retained. I would imagine the Cubs are hoping Olt wins the job and runs with it, creating one of those “good problems” at midseason.
  • Matt Loosen chipped in an inning yesterday, and it may have been his worst AFL outing – two walks and two hits in just one inning of work. He struck out one.
  • Speaking of the AFL and the Mesa Solar Sox, their game tonight will be on MLBN at 7pm MT. Sweet.
  • Questions and answers from Carrie Muskat and from Mark Gonzalez.
  • The Cubs have the most tortured fans in baseball, according to Will Leitch. Which, like, yeah.
  • I feel like we may have seen this incredible Cubs fan cave before, but, even if we have, it’s worth seeing again. I want to be friends with this guy, and hang at his place all the time. I’ll bring the Chutes and Ladders!
  • You can take in some women’s lacrosse next year at Wrigley when the Northwestern Wildcats play the USC Trojans on April 26 at 7pm CT. I think I’ll be going to that – I’d like to see what the atmosphere is like for an event like that.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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